Monday, February 01, 2010

A common point of contention between parents and teenagers is whether or not to allow listening to music or other “multitasking” activities while doing homework or studying.

Many teenagers do multitask while studying. And some of them do quite well in school.

The question, however, is not whether certain very bright students can multitask while studying and still get good grades. The real question is whether these same students, and especially average or underachieving students, would do better if they were to focus only on their studies, without interfering distractions.

A republished L.A. Times article does an excellent job of addressing the issue, and of presenting statistics and expert opinions on the subject:

My own opinion, based on nearly four decades as a professional academic coach, is unequivocal. I think it's obviously a mistake, and a major one, to allow any “multitasking” while doing academic work – whether involving music, instant messaging, video games, or any other distractions. Yes, people are different, and certain people find multitasking easier than others. But it’s common sense that no one, no matter how talented, can pay attention to and concentrate on two different tasks (never mind four or five) as well as he or she can on just one.

Do the following experiment right now:

Try thinking of two different things at the same time, say: the taste of strawberries, and the quadratic formula. In the exact same instant of time, think of both things. Can't be done! The best one can hope to do is rapidly switch back and forth between the two thoughts, dulling mental focus and wasting valuable energy.

Obviously, mindful unitasking works far better in terms of quality and efficiency than does frenzied multitasking, and this distinction becomes critically important when applied to important academic activities like doing homework, writing papers, studying for tests, etc.

Quoting from the article:

“Research has shown that, with practice, people can improve how often and when to shift focus to other tasks most efficiently, and they can sharpen their ability to visually scan between windows open on a computer screen.

But decades of experiments on adults have proved that performance suffers when people try to multitask.”

The problem is that studying and homework are often boring. They aren’t always fun things to do. And, unfortunately, many parents have allowed fun and instant gratification to rise to the top of their teenagers’ lists of values.

Parents need to remember, and children need to be taught, that it's called home “work” for a reason. It's not supposed to be fun; it's supposed to get done, and done well.

Work is, by definition, generally not fun – at the moment you’re doing it. But it’s a lot of fun later on, when the mega-rewards of consistent, disciplined effort and deliberate sacrifice toward worthy goals come pouring in (e.g. success, happiness, money, pride, confidence, a plethora of life choices, etc.).

Contradicting the hedonistic value systems of too many Americans is the fact that boredom is not the worst experience a person can have. Parents must to learn to say “no music” and make it stick without fearing the momentary displeasure or rolling eyes of their own teenagers. Teenagers would profit by learning to sacrifice overrated comforts and delay gratification for the much greater pleasures that attend the accomplishment of major life goals later on. Indeed, most American students would do well to aim to become more self-motivated and self-disciplined, less dependent on external stimulation, and more honestly self-reflective.

Still a multitasking holdout? If so, I have a question for you:

How many tests have you taken with the comfort of your favorite music playing in the background?

The correct answer is zero, driving the final stake through the heart of the notion that it's somehow a good idea to listen to music while studying. Clearly, if you train yourself through repetition to need the support of energizing background music in order to focus your mind and perform at your best academically, the end result will not be pretty.

If maximum success in school is important to you: NO MUSIC (or other distractions) while studying!

About

I help students to learn and love mathematics, produce outstanding results on standardized tests, and thrive as productive, successful scholars. Students of mine go from D's and F's to A's and B's, raise their SAT scores by as much as 450 points or more, and dramatically increase their confidence and competence as thinkers and problem solvers. I began my career as a private teacher giving music lessons at the age of 16, and have operated a professional academic coaching practice for the past four decades. Since 1977, it's been my privilege to serve as academic coach, tutor, and mentor to well over 1500 private students of all ages, helping them to reach the pinnacle of their abilities, attain ambitious educational goals, and achieve enduring success as students and young people. My interests include: Bollywood films, art, archery, Macs, music, recreational math and science, philosophy, psychology, history, comedy, saving the world, and visiting the in-laws in Bali, Indonesia.

Quotes

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The secret of getting ahead is getting started.

I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.

As to the militant suffragettes, I have noted that many women believe in militant methods. You might advocate one way of securing the rights and I might advocate another, they both might help to bring about the result desired. To win freedom always involves hard fighting. I believe in women doing what they deem necessary to secure their rights.

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.

A successful book is not made of what is in it, but of what is left out of it.

Marriage—yes, it is the supreme felicity of life. I concede it. And it is also the supreme tragedy of life. The deeper the love the surer the tragedy. And the more disconsolating when it comes.

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.

“Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very;' your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”

Mark Twain

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"If you cannot solve the proposed problem, try to solve first a simpler related problem."

"Mathematics succeeds in dealing with tangible reality by being conceptual. We cannot cope with the full physical complexity; we must idealize."

"A mathematics teacher is a midwife to ideas."

"A GREAT discovery solves a great problem, but there is a grain of discovery in the solution of any problem. Your problem may be modest, but if it challenges your curiosity and brings into play your inventive faculties, and if you solve it by your own means, you may experience the tension and enjoy the triumph of discovery."

“Whatever the subject, what the teacher really teaches is himself.”

George Pólya

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"The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge."

"No nation was ever so virtuous as each believes itself, and none was ever so wicked as each believes the other."

"The desire to understand the world and the desire to reform it are the two great engines of progress."

"Although this may seem a paradox, all exact science is dominated by the idea of approximation."

"Boredom is a vital problem for the moralist, since at least half the sins of mankind are caused by the fear of it."

Betrand Russell

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"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler."

"All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom."

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."

"Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics, I assure you that mine are greater."

"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

Albert Einstein

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"Teachers have always been—and let us hope, always will be—in the business of trying to get the soul out of bed, out of her deep, habitual sleep."

"Money often costs too much."

"Sometimes a scream is better than a thesis."

"There is properly no history; only biography."

"Standing on the bare ground, — my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space, — all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God."